Benjamin Cyrus
|gender = Male |birth date = May 9,1986 |family = Unnamed mother Jessica Evanson Unnamed daughter Kathy Evanson |path = Cult Leader Statutory Rapist Ephebophile Attempted Murderer |mo = Consensual molestation Torture by beating |victims = 1-2+ consensual molestations 2 attempted |status = Deceased |actor = Luke Perry |appearance = "Minimal Loss" }} Benjamin Franklin Cyrus (born Charles Mulgrew) was an ephebophilic cult leader and statutory rapist, and later attempted murderer who appeared in the Season Four episode "Minimal Loss". Background Born as Charles Mulgrew, Cyrus and his mother were kicked out of a self-sustaining La Plata County, Colorado community led by Libertarian Leo Kane after girls told Kane that he molested them. As an adult, and going by his current name, Cyrus returned, usurped Kane, and became the new leader of the community, turning it into a religious cult known as the Separatarian Sect. Cyrus then took over the commune, proclaiming himself a Messiah of sorts. He was identified by local authorities as the perpetrator of child sexual abuse among his cult members. It is revealed that he, himself, is married to a young adolescent girl, named Jessica Evanson. In the past, he had been convicted of three counts of statutory rape. In prison, he volunteered at the prison hospital. Minimal Loss Reid and Prentiss are called in to meet with him and are introduced as "child interview experts". He holds them hostage after the death of a local social worker at the hands of Colorado State Police. When Cyrus finds out that a lone FBI agent is present, Prentiss admits her identity, partially to protect Reid, and ends up getting beaten by the cult leader. Rossi offers to speak to Cyrus and asks him to let the children in the compound go. He refuses, saying he will not release them from his "protection". Cyrus then prepares a mass suicide ritual to root out the unbelievers. The ritual is a bluff, however, and those who showed emotion after drinking the "poisoned" wine are released. After negotiations, Cyrus agrees to let the children go and surrender. He has, however, rigged the compound with explosives. The FBI agents then break into the compound as Prentiss is leading the women and children out. Cyrus is shot dead by Morgan. His body is found by Jessica Evanson, his adolescent wife, who picks up the detonator. Morgan, Reid, and the other agents manage to escape before she detonates the bombs in a fit of rage, killing herself and the remaining cultists. He is later shown in flashbacks in "300". Modus Operandi Cyrus only molested the majority of his victims, who were young girls. When he physically attacked his victims, he would beat them to the point of near-unconsciousness, or when feeling insulted, he would hit them in the genitals. He was also armed with an AKMSU carbine rifle and a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson 4506 pistol. Real-Life Comparisons Cyrus was heavily inspired by Jim Jones - Both were cult leaders and rapists who ordered their followers to drink allegedly poisoned drinks in order to prove their loyalty to their cults and planned to commit suicide with their followers and both died along with a vast majority of their followers (all of them in Jones' case). He also seems to have been vastly inspired by David Koresh - Both were ephebophilic statutory rapists and cult leaders who believed themselves Messiahs and leaders of self-sustaining cults located in rural areas with their own compounds. They are both believed to have abused their children, leading to standoffs with federal authorities and ending with the mass deaths of multiple members of both sides (including both of them, while Kerosh committed suicide while Cyrus was shot by Morgan). They also both changed their names at some point in their lives (Koresh was born Vernon Howell while Cyrus was born Charles Mulgrew). They were both born of young single mothers and said to be good at remembering portions of the Bible. And they both got the previous leaders of their cults thrown out before taking charge themselves. What's also interesting to note is that "Cyrus" is the Anglicised form of "Koresh", the surnames of the two criminals in question. Known Victims *Unspecified dates: Numerous unnamed girls *c. 2000-2008: **Numerous unnamed girls **Jessica Evanson *October 7-8, 2008: The Liberty Ranch standoff: **Emily Prentiss **Spencer Reid Notes *What's interesting to note is that Benjamin shared his new identity with Benjamin Franklin, who Reid quotes in the beginning of the episode. Appearances *Season Four **"Minimal Loss" *Season Eleven **"Entropy" *Season Fourteen **"300" Category:Criminals Category:Cult Leaders Category:Deceased Criminals Category:Season Four Criminals Category:Attempted Bombers Category:Statutory Rapists Category:Ephebophiles Category:Narcissists Category:Attempted Murderers Category:Child Molesters Category:Hostage Takers